‘Tis the season…for holiday availability nudges

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December classes open for registration

We’ll close out the training year with two master classes in December, both taught by me, Corinne McKay:

• On Tuesday, December 10, I’ll be teaching From words to work: The practical aspects of book translation. If you’d like to translate books (perhaps getting going on this idea over the holidays!) but don’t know where to start, this class will teach you about the entire lifecycle of a book translation, from the rights arrangement, to finding a publisher, signing a contract, getting paid, and marketing the book. We’ll also talk about options for self-publishing, including a new “semi-self-published” option that I’m going to use for my next book! Registration is $75 and includes the recording.
• On Tuesday, December 17, it’s time for Level up: Freelancing for more money and better projects in 2025. This class has two components: confidently setting and raising your rates using objective data, and finding “premium” clients. I decided to offer this class because, when I teach my “deciding what to charge” class (including at the recent ATA conference!), the most common question from participants is, “where do I find these elusive high-paying clients??” Come find out! Registration is $75 and includes the recording.

This week’s topic: ‘Tis the season…for holiday availability nudges

This post is based on a LinkedIn post that sparked a lot of interest. We all know that nudging dormant clients (getting in touch with a client you worked with in the past, reminding them that you exist) is:

• The world’s most boring marketing method; and
• The world’s most effective marketing method

Every year, in my March Marketing Madness challenge group, the following situation plays out: I tell participants what I just told you, and they say, “But that seems super-annoying. They know where to find me. They’d contact me if they wanted to work with me.” To which I respond, “Humor me, and just try it.”

No marketing method is 100% effective (if only!), but this typically results in a high percentage of participants returning and reporting, “Wellllll guess what. A client who I thought hated me, came back with a $1,500 project/four days of interpreting work/an offer to translate their annual report.” Nudging is really important.

Now is the time!

Why is now the time to nudge? Because most of us are very self-conscious about nudging. We think it looks desperate, as if we have no work (listen to the podcast for more on this!). Although I disagree with the “desperation” characterization, and I think it’s totally fine to make up a reason to nudge (“I have some upcoming availability”), I also agree that it’s always great to have an actual reason to nudge. And here you go. It’s the holidays! A lot of people take time off! You need to let clients know your plans.

Plot out your availability between now and ~January 10, depending on what country you live in. The U.S. has the added factor of Thanksgiving (this year, November 28), and many European countries have the added factor of “the holidays” as running through January 6.

Here’s what to do

Send all clients a personalized “holiday availability update,” letting them know when you will be working and when you’re not available. “Just wanted to let you know my availability between now and the first few weeks of the new year.” If you haven’t worked with them in a while, refer back to the most recent project you did for them, and how much you enjoyed it! “In looking over my records, I see that we haven’t worked together since I translated your annual report in March; I really enjoyed that project and wondered if you’ve started planning for 2025?”

Pro tip for beginners and those who need a lot more work

If you are a beginner or actively looking for more work, remember that the holiday period can be a really good time to pick up new clients. They may be a lot more likely to take a chance on someone new when all of their usual translators or interpreters are busy; particularly if you’re available for the week between Christmas and New Year’s, make sure that current and potential clients know this!

I hope these tips are helpful!

Corinne McKay (classes@trainingfortranslators.com) is the founder of Training for Translators, and has been a full-time freelancer since 2002. She holds a Master of Conference Interpreting from Glendon College, is an ATA-certified French to English translator, and is Colorado court-certified for French interpreting. If you enjoy her posts, consider joining the Training for Translators mailing list!